Author: Liana Toganian

‘Any untrue information cannot be a reason for disruption of humanitarian process’ – Ombudsman

Liana Toganian

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 11:40,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 29, ARMENPRESS. Ombudsman of Armenia Arman Tatoyan has issued a statement, noting that “any factor, including periodically published untrue information on armed conflicts by the Azerbaijani sources or any provocation of armed conflict cannot be a reason for the disruption or suspension of the most important humanitarian process”.

Armenpress presents the full text of the statement:

“1. Late yesterday evening, Azerbaijani media sources reported that military fights had resumed between Armenian and Azerbaijani armed forces near the village of Togh in Hadrut Province (Azerbaijani: village of Aghdam (Hakaku) in the Khojavend District). Azerbaijani media sources also reported about casualties on both sides. The same information later stated the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan.

  1. Immediately after the publication of this news, I applied to the Ministry of Defense of Armenia and the Defense Army of Artsakh with urgent official inquiries. Both agencies strongly denied the spreading information, assuring that the ceasefire regime is strictly observed, and military units have not taken part in any operation in the area, as well as they claimed that no emergency incidents were reported in connection with the units of the Defense Army. Later on the same issues, the public statements of the Ministry of Defense and the Defense Army were published.
  2. Furthermore, monitoring of the Human Rights Defender’s Office has revealed that at around 12:45pm, on December 28 the Iranian “MiranPress” telegram channel, citing its sources, reported that the incident in the Hadrut region had not taken place between Artsakh’s and Azerbaijani armed forces, but Azerbaijani servicemen shot at each other, which resulted in three victims.
  3. In the capacity of Armenia’s Human Rights Defender, I expressly emphasize that a crucial humanitarian process is currently underway with regards to human rights protection. This especially refers to the exchange of bodies of killed persons and the return of prisoners of war and civilian captives.
  4. I specifically warn that any provocation or statement that leads to an armed conflict in the post-war period cannot disrupt the process of returning war prisoners and civilian captives and exchanging bodies.
  5. I recall that as a baseline fact, it should be taken as a basis that provisions of the tripartite statement of November 9, 2020, regarding the complete ceasefire and the cessation of all hostilities, the parties undertook to maintain, which has not been disputed by any party’s authority.
  6. Therefore, any factor, including periodically published untrue information on armed conflicts by the Azerbaijani sources or any provocation of armed conflict cannot be a reason for the disruption or suspension of the most important humanitarian process, particularly in connection with the return of war prisoners and civilian captives and the exchange of bodies.
  7. Hence, I call upon the international community and specifically international bodies with human rights protection mandate, to pay scrupulous attention to the current situation in order to ensure continuity and acceleration of such a humanitarian mission as well as to exclude any obstacles to its normal course.
  8. This statement will be sent to competent international bodies with my separate signature.
  9. Issues related to the human rights and humanitarian law protection in the post-war period will continue to be in immediate attention of Armenia’s Human Rights Defender”.

‘We should do everything to stabilize the situation’ – Pashinyan tells Syunik residents

Liana Toganian

‘We should do everything to stabilize the situation’ – Pashinyan tells Syunik residents

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 11:32, 21 December, 2020

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 21, ARMENPRESS. During the visit to Syunik province Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan firstly visited Sarnakunk village.

Commenting on the question about the demarcation works through GPS, the PM said: “It is being done for several times at various ways. I want to assure you that there is no problem in this sense”.

Pashinyan stated that currently a post-shock situation is underway. “We should do everything to stabilize the situation. We should do everything to return our captives and missing in action”, he said.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Strikes and blocked roads in Armenia: how the opposition is trying to overthrow the PM

Liana Toganian
JAM News
Dec 22 2020

    JAMnews, Yerevan
  

In Armenia, after three days of mourning in memory of those killed in the Karabakh war, protests have begun again, and the opposition continues to demand the resignation of the prime minister.

In doing so, it has resorted to the same methods that were used during the ‘velvet’ revolution of 2018 by its leader Nikol Pashinyan. Oppositionists demanding his resignation are also trying to block roads and organize a nationwide strike.

The opposition called December 22 “a decisive day of the struggle” – a rally was held on the main square of Yerevan with the participation of thousands of people. The leaders of the united opposition parties, as well as their single candidate for the post of Prime Minister Vazgen Manukyan, made speeches. He called on the army and police to join the opposition movement and together to achieve the resignation of Nikol Pashinyan.

All the details of the opposition rally, which roads in Armenia are blocked, who from the military has resigned and the reaction of PM Pashinyan himself.

The opposition again spoke about its claims against the prime minister and demanded Nikol Pashinyan’s resignation, as he “betrayed national interests and signed a shameful statement on Karabakh.”

“In two and a half years, he has reached the point where people are already disgusted with pronouncing the name Nikol,” said Gegham Manukyan, a spokesman for the ARF Dashnaktsutyun party.

He even called on the demonstrators to chant not “Armenia without Nikol”, as it was in previous demonstrations, but “Armenia without him”.

Photo by JAMnews

Another representative of the Dashnaks, Ishkhan Saghatelyan, spoke about four constitutional, legal mechanisms that will allow for the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan:

“The first option – the prime minister himself announces his resignation, the second way – the parliament convenes an extraordinary meeting and discusses the issue of Pashinyan’s resignation, the third way – the Prosecutor General’s Office initiates a criminal case on grounds of treason, the fourth – the government, at the request of 2/3 ministers, convenes an extraordinary meeting and discusses the question of the prime minister’s resignation”.

The opposition, according to Saghatelyan, will work in all four directions.

Opposition candidate for the post of Prime Minister Vazgen Manukyan said that he was “still ashamed of the people, of the state”:

“It’s a shame that we still haven’t thrown this man off [talking about Pashinyan]. I was one of the founders of this state [was the first prime minister of the independent Republic of Armenia] and felt personally responsible for this shameful defeat. But today I look into your eyes and I am proud. I see here the people who proudly look into the future. We will build the state we dreamed of.”

Vazgen Manukyan at a rally in Yerevan, Photo by JAMnews

Naira Zohrabyan, representing the Prosperous Armenia Party, stated that from now on, the opposition will conduct daily actions of disobedience “until Nikol Pashinyan resigns.”

After all the speeches, the opposition called on the protesters to surround the government building, blocking all entrances.

Photo by JAMnews

Which roads are closed

While a rally was going on in Yerevan, Pashinyan’s opponents blocked the Yerevan-Vanadzor road.

One of the activists of the protest movement Gegham Manukyan told the demonstrators that the Ijevan-Yerevan and Vanadzor-Dilijan roads were also blocked.

“People are demanding Pashinyan’s resignation,” the oppositionist said.

Who resigned

Khachatur Tovmasyan, deputy commander of the special battalion of the patrol and guard service, resigned in protest against the current authorities. This unit is popularly called “red berets”.

Opposition leaders announced this at the rally and read out the officer’s address. In it, Khachatur Tovmasyan says that human and spiritual values are important to him, and he “does not consider it possible to serve a deceitful and self-respecting government, irresponsible people.”

Photo by JAMnews

What Nikol Pashinyan thinks

The prime minister called this opposition movement a “riot of the elites” of the former government.

“Deprived of power as a result of the 2018 revolution, the ‘elite’ is trying to achieve revenge,” Nikol Pashinyan wrote on his Facebook page.

According to him, the real confrontation is not between the government and the opposition, but between the “elite” deprived of privileges and the people:

“But in any case, the decisive word will be for the people, because if the people say their word, the“ elite ”will not be able to do anything. Of course, I will do my best to ensure that people do not miss the opportunity to have their say. But at the moment, the priority for us is to ensure the external security of Armenia and Artsakh. In these processes, external security should by no means be called into question. “

US National Intelligence Director to submit assessment on NK status to Congress

Liana Toganian

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 11:59, 22 December, 2020

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 22, ARMENPRESS. Congress is calling on the U.S. Administration to provide a detailed report on aggression in and around Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh), demanding a detailed analysis of the impact of U.S. military aid to Azerbaijan and Armenia and its ramifications on the balance of power in the Caucasus region, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

The Congressional request for the Artsakh report is included in the Fiscal Year 2021 (FY2021) foreign aid bill (H.R.133), adopted by the House in parallel to the COVID-19 stimulus package earlier today. The Senate is set to vote on the measure later in the evening. It is similar to language spearheaded by House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) in the FY2021 Intelligence Authorization Act, whose leadership was critical to its inclusion in the foreign aid bill. The measure also maintained support for Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act, which restricts U.S. aid to Azerbaijan for its ongoing aggression and blockade of Armenia and Artsakh. 

According to the assessment regarding tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan, “not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of National Intelligence shall submit to the congressional intelligence committees a written assessment regarding tensions between the governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan, including with respect to the status of the Nagorno Karabakh region. Such assessment shall include each of the following:

(1) An identification of the strategic interests of the United States and its partners in the Armenia-Azerbaijan region.

(2) A description of all significant uses of force in and around the Nagorno-Karabakh region and the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan during calendar year 2020, including a description of each significant use of force and an assessment of who initiated the use of such force.

(3) An assessment of the effect of United States military assistance to Azerbaijan and Armenia on the regional balance of power and the likelihood of further use of military force.

(4) An assessment of the likelihood of any further uses of force or potentially destabilizing activities in the region in the near- to medium-term.

(b) FORM OF ASSESSMENT.—The assessment required under this section shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may contain a classified annex.

​What has Armenia done to return Artsakh to normal life?

Liana Toganian
News.am, Armenia
Dec 24 2020
 
 
 
What has Armenia done to return Artsakh to normal life?
14:23, 24.12.2020
 
YEREVAN. – At Thursday’s Cabinet meeting of the government of Armenia, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan summed up the measures that the country has taken to restore the normal life in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh).
 
“The first is the program of assistance to the citizens registered in Artsakh, which [the program] is used by about 87 thousand beneficiaries. For this purpose, the government has allocated 6.4 billion drams.
 
The next measure is the program of assistance to the residents of the communities [now] outside the control of Artsakh. We have more than 2,000 beneficiaries here. The government has allocated more than 600 million drams.
 
We have allocated about 900 million drams to the Artsakh government to pay December pensions and benefits in Artsakh. We have allocated about 3.1 billion drams to the Artsakh government to pay the December salaries of state employees in Artsakh.
 
We have allocated about 1 billion drams for the full gratuitous compensation for the last three months of utility payments of the population of Artsakh.
 
All these decisions are related to the roadmap I published on November 18,” said the Prime Minister.
 
He noted that in addition, the Armenian government had approved eight more measures that are underway and are also within the framework of the aforesaid roadmap.
 
 
 
 
 

Armenian government donates ambulances to Artsakh

Liana Toganian

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 11:21, 24 December, 2020

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 24, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian government will donate 5 ambulances to Artsakh.

The respective decision has been approved today at the Cabinet meeting.

Armenia’s healthcare ministry has purchased 30 ambulances and has received 12 more as a donation.

According to the current decision, it is proposed to donate 5 from these vehicles to Artsakh.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Nagorno-Karabakh: Over 500 Refugees Return Following Armenia-Azerbaijan Ceasefire

Liana Toganian
The Republic World
Dec 26 2020
Written By

Riya Baibhawi

Over 500 refugees, on December 25, returned to breakaway Republic of Nagorno Karabakh with assistance from Russian peacekeepers, the Russian Defense Minister said on December 25. It added that the refugees arrived in buses which were safeguarded by the Russian army and military police. The residents of the Caucasian region were displaced after a battle for control ensued between Armenia and Azerbaijan but have started to return following a ceasefire between the two. Since, Russia brokered the pact, over 37,000 locals have returned.

“Today, 540 people were delivered by buses from Yerevan to Stepanakert. The buses were accompanied by patrols from the Russian peacekeeping contingent and military police,” the Russian ministry was quoted as saying by ANI.

Read: Over 1,000 Refugees Return To Nagorno-Karabakh Following Armenia-Azerbaijan Ceasefire

Read: Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict Shows Chinese Military Needs Better Counter-strategy: Report

In another official statement, the Russian Defense Ministry informed that the Russian peacekeepers have been providing security to the refugees returning to their residence in the Nagorno-Karabakh region along with humanitarian aid. The Russian force is also aiding in the restoration of the infrastructure facilities in the area and conducting ’round-the-clock monitoring’ of the situation in the region from ’23 observation posts’. Earlier, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan agreed to exchange the prisoners of war captured by Armenia’s army along with the mortal remains of soldiers and victims killed during the military confrontation in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. 

This move comes after Russia brokered a peace agreement and urged the warring sides Armenia and Azerbaijan to immediately restore the economic and transport ties in the Nagorno-Karabak region, and felicitate the return of the refugees. In accordance with the agreement, Armenia and Azerbaijan declared a complete ceasefire and halted all military operations in the Nagorno-Karabakh region in November 2020. Following this move, the Russian Federation deployed Russian peacekeepers to monitor the ceasefire and military operations in the area. 

Read: Armenia Honors Nagorno-Karabakh Dead, Anti-PM Demo

Read: Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict Shows Chinese Military Needs Better Counter-strategy: Report

Armenpress: PM Pashinyan invites opposition forces to hold consultations on snap elections in 2021

Liana Toganian

PM Pashinyan invites opposition forces to hold consultations on snap elections in 2021

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 21:27,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 25, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan invites parliamentary and extra-parliamentary forces to hold consultations over the issue of holding snap elections in 2021, ARMENPRESS reports PM Pashinyan wrote on his Facebook page.

”Dear people, dear compatriots, it’s now obvious that the process initiated by the opposition demanding the resignation of the PM did not enjoy people’s support. The opposition had all the opportunities to generate the people’s support – it possesses huge financial, media, organizational resources, it had wide opportunities to organize protests and rallies, but the movement was not only unable to secure popular support for its demands, but also the number of its supporters has been reduced to a minimum, the street process is nearly extinguished”, Pashinyan wrote.

According to the PM, no one can say that the authorities kept the power by using harsh force.

” On the contrary, we are accused of being unnecessarily mild. But all these do not change the commitment of our political team and personally my commitment to stand in front of the people and be held accountable.

I do not cling to the seat of the Prime Minister, but I cannot have a careless attitude towards the power, the post of the Prime Minister handed over to me by the people. The fate of that position and the future political leadership of the country should be decided by the people, with free _expression_ of their will, and I, as the Prime Minister of Armenia, consider myself the guarantor of that free _expression_ of will’’, Pashinyan wrote.

Pashinyan added that he is ready to step down based only on the decision of the people.

”I am also ready to continue leading Armenia in case the people reaffirms trust in this hard period. There is only one method of getting answers to these questions – holding snap parliamentary elections. Based on the mentioned, I invite parliamentary and interested extra-parliamentary forces to hold consultations to discuss the issue of holding snap parliamentary elections in 2021”, PM Pashinyan wrote.

Vazgen Manukyan is the candidate of the opposition movement for the Prime Minister’s position. Vazgen Manukyan served as the first Prime Minister of Armenia from 1990 to 1991 under President Levon-Ter Petrosyan. He then served briefly as Defense Minister.

Manukyan was the President of the Public Council from 2009 to 2019.




Yerevan rejects explosion of Iran-Armenia gas pipeline

Liana Toganian
Mehr News Agency, Iran
Dec 23 2020

TEHRAN, Dec. 23 (MNA) – The Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of the Republic of Armenia rejected reports claiming the Azerbaijani side has blown up the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline.

The comments come after the politik.am website published a video allegedly showing the blowing up of the pipeline.

The Ministry says “the information does not correspond to reality” and adds that “the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline continues to ensure uninterrupted gas supply to Armenia,” the Public Radio of Armenia reported. 

The Ministry urges media outlets to refrain from spreading unverified information, not to cause unnecessary panic in the public.

The Iran–Armenia gas pipeline is a 140-kilometer (87 mi) long pipeline from Iran to Armenia.

The 100-kilometer (62 mi) long Iranian section runs from Tabriz to the Iran–Armenia border.

The Armenian section runs from the Meghri region to Kajaran, and another 197 kilometers (122 mi) of the pipeline is planned to reach the center of the country, where it will link up with the existing distribution network.

MNA/PR